His last release in Malayalam was the bilingual Solo, directed by Bejoy Nambiar. Though it won him a Filmfare nomination, it was widely panned by the critics and audience alike. Last year the actor had two releases, Mahanati in Telugu and Karwaan in Hindi (his debut) and it suddenly looked like Dulquer was focussing on pan-Indian films. Even his upcoming films speak of that—the Malayalam film Oru Yamandan Pranayakadha, Zoya Factor in Hindi and Kannum Kannum Kollai Adithaland Vaanin Tamil.  Since his next Malayalam release is all set for a release on April 25, we thought of doing a list of top performances of the actor. And it goes exactly in this order…

1)  Charlie: It is by definition the turning point of his career. Because till then he was fundamentally playing updated versions of the same character—the rich urban, coming-of-age lad. But then Charlierequired him to step out of that comfort zone, trade his genteelness and sophistication for flamboyance, and simply go all out. Charlie was a bohemian in spirit and deeds, wore loose quirky kurtas, a thick beard and laughed with abandon.

Dulquer was stunningly uninhibited in a role by no means easy to pull off, be it his body language or dialogue delivery, it just seemed like Charlie was on a roll.

2)  Kammatipaadam: Though it’s the supporting characters who walked away with the film, it goes without saying that the actor had the most complex role to grapple with.

Born and bred in Kammatipaadam, Krishnan is almost an alien for the actor and he had to get into his physical and mental psyche, be in a space he has probably never even heard off. But DQ works hard to understand the raw and rooted Krishnan, where he comes from and why he is the way he is, and it shows in his performance.

3)  Kali:   Sidharth has anger issues and this has made life difficult for him at work, in marriage, and in other relationships. It’s the kind of role that can become one-dimensional, unless you play it with nuance.

So even when he has a short fuse, he does it with flair, making us empathise with him. There are various situations in the film that require the actor to channelize his anger and he is particularly effective there. Truly a coming of age film for the actor.

4)  Parava: It’s a cameo. He appears as Imran, an orphan with a golden heart, the big brother who spreads compassion wherever he goes and adopts himself into every family in the colony.

Dulquer brings an unqualified warmth to Imran, apart from getting the Kochi slang and body language to the T. One of the best cameos in Malayalam cinema for sure.

5)  OK Kanmani:

Though it’s the kind of role he had already done quite a lot in Malayalam, in the hands of Mani Ratnam, he fine tunes it, adds charm, romance and irreverence and turns it into an endearing act. Also, a very confident debut in Tamil, speaking it without an accent.

6)   Mahanati: Two formidable tasks before him—he has to play Gemini Ganesan and the medium is Telugu. But then DQ gives it a fashionable spin of his own, all the while adding depth and vulnerability to the character.  He puts it all out—his questionable morality, his unfathomable love for Savithri and his own insecurities, battles with self and his inability to accept failures. A well rounded character like that was safe in the actor’s hands.